(1788 - 1864)
John Watson Gordon, portrait painter, was born in Edinburgh, the son of a Captain in the Royal Artillery. He studied under John Graham, George Watson and Sir Henry Raeburn and added ‘Gordon’ to his surname to distinguish himself from his cousin and uncle (both artists). Gordon was influenced by the work of Raeburn and took over as the leading Scottish portrait painter after Raeburn’s death. In 1826, he became a founding member of the Royal Scottish Academy and, in 1851, a Member of the Royal Academy, London. Many of his sitters were Scottish, but English clients also travelled to Edinburgh to sit for him. He became President of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1850 and was knighted and appointed Royal Limner for Scotland soon afterwards.
